Week 8 – March 20, 2017
AGs and U.S. Supreme Court Practice
Syllabus: The Role of the State Attorney General
Other than the U.S. Solicitor General, state government is by far the most frequent litigant in the U.S. Supreme Court on such issues as the death penalty, climate change, gun control, foreclosure jurisdiction, immigration, voting rights and, of course, the Affordable Care Act. This class will study states’ practice before the Supreme Court, including the important role played by attorneys general submitting amici curiae briefs.
Guest: Dan Schweitzer, NAAG Supreme Court Counsel
- Statistics on Amicus Briefs filed by States in the U.S. Supreme Court, NAAG (2017)
- "Results of Cert Petitions on Filed by States" NAAG (2014)
- Amicus Brief, Roper v. Simmons (2005)
- Roper v. Simmons, 543 U.S. 551 (2005)
- Kevin C. Newsom, " The State Solicitor General Boom," 32 Appellate Practice J. 6 (2013)
- "Where Are They Now? Former State Solicitor Generals," Newspaper articles about former State Solicitor Generals
- Respondent's Brief (Ted Cruz), Medellín v. Dretke Director, Texas Department Of Criminal Justice, Correctional Institutions(2005) (Winner of NAAG Best Brief Award)
- Jonathan Mahler. "Ted Cruz Promoted Himself and Conservative Causes as Texas' Solicitor General," New York Times, March 4, 2016